Kristoffer Ajer: Celtic can aspire to be at Ajax's level

Ajax last stood at the summit of the European game in 1995 but the changes cravenly wrought by UEFA to ensure that clubs from countries with the five biggest TV audiences have a disproportionate chance of qualifying for – and progressing in – the premier tournament have affected them as much as other previous winners from smaller nations; see Benfica, Red Star Belgrade and Celtic.

However, after watching Erik ten Hag’s youthful Ajax team dismantle holders Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Tuesday evening – beating them 4-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League - Hoops defender Kristoffer Ajer claims that it must be possible for Celtic to emulate that achievement in the near future.

Celtic have a bigger stadium capacity and global fanbase. Their budget is only £5m less than that of the Dutch giants and Ajer believes that Celtic must take heart from their achievements next season and beyond.

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“To have so many young players producing such a fine performance against a team that’s won the Champions League for the last three years was really impressive,” he said.

“It shows that, if you have a really good structure for a number of years then you can deliver good results. We can use that to inspire us because we have a really good pathway for our academy players at this club.”

Ajer accepts that Celtic cannot be expected to match the transfer fees paid by Paris St Germain, their coffers bloated by Qatari money. But Tuesday’s result proved that cash is not always king.

“You have to respect that some clubs can afford to buy the top, top players but also if you build up the way Celtic have been doing – and the way Ajax have done – it’s possible to create a system where you’re not only selling great players but also bringing really good players through that you can keep. It was impressive to watch,” he claimed.

“You’ll have seen recently some of the excellent players who’ve come through our youth system to play in the first team. They’re playing and training at a high level, they’re at a club where young players will be brought through and they’ve been given that opportunity.”

For Celtic to find themselves in a position to match Ajax’s exploits, they would need to clear four qualifying round hurdles and, before that, they would first need to claim an eighth successive championship.

There was the possibility of Brendan Rodgers’ reputation-shredding departure could derail the club’s attempt to make it eight in a row this season but the conveniently swift appointment of former manager Neil Lennon on an interim basis has steadied the ship, with away wins over Hearts and Hibernian in the last week.

Even so, Ajer conceded that it has been a traumatic period for the players.

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“Obviously, a lot of stuff has happened but the group has coped with that and the gaffer has come in and really helped us in terms of looking forward – and the two wins we’ve had have shown the importance of that,” he said.

“John Kennedy has been here through everything we’ve done and he’s seen it all. He helped the previous manager bring young players in and he did a fantastic job with that.

“But it was really important for him to explain to us after the manager left that we – the players – were the ones who had won those trophies and that we had to show that in those games in Edinburgh that week.”

Ajer, signed by fellow Norwegian Deila in 2016, had never worked under the current incumbent before but he already knew a fair bit about him.

“Of course, I’d watched a lot of Celtic clips before I came here and I saw how he played and what he was like as a manager. I’m really looking forward to working with him and learning from him.

“The gaffer has kept things quite similar to what we’ve been used to. A few changes have been made but nothing drastic – just things like how he wants us to build up.

“[Scott Brown] Broony’s also’s been helping the whole squad over the past week. You’ve seen the way he is in games and the goals he’s scored; he’s been a leader throughout the whole thing.”

Kristoffer Ajer was speaking as Celtic, in association with the Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE), announced its support for a European-wide week of action which celebrates the wider inclusion of disabled people and the important role they can play in both football and wider society.